This is the official ranking of the 10 most powerful Decepticon leaders out of Transformers .

The Transformers Decepticon leaders, including Megatron, show us how fear, armies and information build strength.

The Transformers storyline introduces 10 Decepticon leaders, including Megatron, whose power transcends solidity. The job seems risky - they spend half their time fighting the Autobots and the other half watching them plot to kill their own soldiers.

Megatron still holds the record.

Megatron does not lead the Decepticons; rather, it defines the gang's positions. Once an oppressed worker becomes a gladiator and then rebels against Cybertron's caste system, which he adheres to in his will out of fear, loyalty or both. Not even death can remove him from the throne.

The more extensive source material is a finger pointing to the 1980s Megatron from Sunbow Productions, Transformers One's Decepticon-mode megatron by Paramount Pictures and an illustration of Transformer Prime from Studio Polygon footage.

The Fallen makes Megatron his subordinate.

Megatron is able to rule the Decepticons, but in Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen he introduces one who treats him as a disposable subordinate.

The energy imbalance becomes apparent when Megatron serves in the Fallen's plan to destroy Earth's sun using Star Harvester.

Tarn uses her voice and thoughts as weapons

Tarn is the kind of Decepticon who makes a simple disagreement sound like a death sentence. Transformers : As leader of Deception Justice Division, he can use his voice to manipulate other Transformers sparks that go beyond what's visible to the eye, turning executions into elaborate speeches about loyalty.

Welding the Decepticon mark on his face takes Megatron's allegiance to a particularly extreme level, and his double-fusion gun reflects his signature weaponry. But Tarn's true power lies in his obsessive knowledge of the Deception doctrine. He is also featured in Transformers : Cyberverse by Boulder Media, and IDW Publishing's Transformers cartoons include a deadly battle involving Kaon.

Deathsaurus built an empire without the help of Megatron.

Deathsaurus has the ambition of Starscream but is far more capable. In Transformers : Victory, he becomes Emperor of Destruction and commands Breastforce on Thunder Arrow, sending Liokaiser to fight Autobot Supreme Commander Star Saber.

While Decepticon impersonators spend more time in conspiracy than combat, Deathsaurus actually commands the military threat without relying on Megatron's reputation. The cartoons of IDW show just how fiercely JUST has defended his place. After abandoning Megatran and capturing a Warworld, he bids farewell to the Deception judiciary with many explosions and suspicions that can destroy all possibilities for peaceful conversation.

From his infantry barracks, Scoponock commanded the armies

Scorponok takes the idea of a military headquarters and empowers it with enough firepower to ruin anyone's day. In The Transformers : The Headmasters, he moved between huge fortresses that could house robot troops, scorpions, and Decepticons.

While many Decepticons are capable of wreaking havoc on the battlefield, Scorponok can bring an army with him and launch a fight; a leader who can march like an entire base has an unfair advantage over enemies holding their weapons.

Marvel's G1 comics give Scorponok an extra edge by commanding the Decepticon army that was later incorporated into Headmasters storyline. His various forms are adaptable to everything from surprise attacks to full-circle takeovers, and his intelligence makes him more of a large-size weapon. Hasbro's Transformers : Energon also featured him.

The rainbow bird chooses corrupt power over control

Thunderwing is not content with winning battles; instead, he needs the power to decide who should stand in his way. In Marvel's Transformers comic books, finding the Creation Matrix has earned him leadership of the Decepticon Senate after attacking The Ark.

He spends little time exercising his power by force, even turning non-clan sites like Macadam's Old Oil House into domains owned solely by the Decepticons.

The Dark Creation Matrix then takes over, and Thunderwing becomes a threat to his side. Possessing its power, he tears both the Autobots and Decepticons aboard, demonstrating how dangerous he can be when anyone is able to control him. He also stars as Unicron's champion in Transformers Prime: The Game, where his dark Energon-fueled energy forces Optimus Prime to destroy the radiators on his shoulders.

Sound waves are information rather than weapons.

Soundwave may not be the biggest Decepticon on the battlefield, but knowing what everyone else is planning could prove far more useful than the next big weapon -- his nine out of 10 Tech Spec intelligence levels support his reputation and show how his surveillance in Transformers : Prime makes him priceless to Megatron.

In the ၁၉၈၄ cartoon, he sends Laserbeak and Ravage to gather information and disrupt Autobot plans while Megatron works towards his ambitions. That silent loyalty makes Soundwave dangerous in other ways: He doesn't need to control Decepticons as he oversees everything behind the scenes; images from Sunbow Entertainment also show him creating an energon cube out of his chest.

The coronation of Starscream lasts only a few minutes.

Starscream has been trying for years to replace Megatron, so his right to rule becomes a pipe dream.

Galvatron wants revenge for being abandoned in space, which means that Starscream's glorious reign ends almost as soon as it begins. The scene is laughable in the most depressing way possible: he has real power, especially when it comes to speed, but once Galvatrón targets him, he never stands a chance.

Overlord and Shockwave: Brute force and cold concept

Overlord needs no lengthy introduction when his first major battle works out for him: in Transformers : The Super God Masterforce, the Decepticon Godmaster defeats Super Ginrai, which succeeds the deception pretender force.

Other connections make Overlord even more terrifying by depicting him as a Phase Sixer, an insanely powerful warrior who transforms into both tanks and jets. As well as having the intelligence to use his power to go wherever he pleases, he is not JUST , but a gang of vandals waiting for anyone to show up on a target. Toei Animation's Transformers : Headmasters anime also reveals that he wears a confident smile when preparing to fight off many Autobots.

Shockwave treats emotions like a software bug, and his cold logic makes him one of the Decepticons. In IDW's Transformers cartoons, he has shown how far its Regenesis project will go to reshape Cybertron.

The terrifying part is that Shockwave doesn't even have to be depressed to do terrible things. He can justify every horrible decision with a completely calm face. In the original Transformers cartoon, Earth searches for energy while Megatron's forces take care of Cybertron.

It's work that requires patience and loyalty. Shockwave rarely takes the throne to prove herself, and her intelligence and strategic reasoning far surpass those of previous conspirators.

What does the list mean for readers?

The list shows that Transformers leaders were evaluated by the tools a warlord could use as weapons: ideology, surveillance, military support, shoddy artwork, archaic firepower and psychological control. Megatron's decades-long reign remains ideal, while other leaders testify to Decepticon being threatening without ever taking the throne.